Thedutchtouch
Well-Known Member
So what do you all (all grain, non BIAB) brewers use in your boil kettles? Feel free to elaborate in the comments.
Whirlpool, false bottom, Hop spider or ?
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Nothing for me, unless I'm using shiittons of hops. In that case, I sanitize an old voile BIAB bag and line my fermenter with it and use that to strain out all of the crap. So far it's worked out great. I've had no issues with hop material getting into primary with most beers.
kcbeersnob
Well-Known Member
I use a hop spider with 30# stainless mesh basket from Stainless Brewing. More details from my experience here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/stainless-accessories-328846/index16.html#post5984539
If I use a significant amount of wheat in a recipe, the holes in the basket can become majorly clogged and prevent the wort inside the basket from boiling. I am thinking about trying a stainless braid one of these days just to see how it works. My fear is that it would clog significantly from break material.
If I use a significant amount of wheat in a recipe, the holes in the basket can become majorly clogged and prevent the wort inside the basket from boiling. I am thinking about trying a stainless braid one of these days just to see how it works. My fear is that it would clog significantly from break material.
NervousDad
BFM
I've tried them all. I'm still trying to get my whirlpool technique down, but it's been the best.
False bottom occasionally clogged with excessive hopping. I thought my hop spider (8") was great, until I started getting a lot of beer lacking hop flavor/aroma. I didn't get enough flow through the spider.
False bottom occasionally clogged with excessive hopping. I thought my hop spider (8") was great, until I started getting a lot of beer lacking hop flavor/aroma. I didn't get enough flow through the spider.
Five gallon paint strainer bag clipped to the rim of the pot. I open the bag to add each hop at it's appropriate time. Very simple.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=352293
I bought one of the hop spiders from chad and it's awesome. I have had no issues with IPAs or any other hop-forward beer.
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I bought one of the hop spiders from chad and it's awesome. I have had no issues with IPAs or any other hop-forward beer.
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I use a bag or hops spider for leaf hops, but not for pellets. Leaf hops clog up my diptube and pump, but pellets don't.
Otherwise, I don't do anything to separate it.
Otherwise, I don't do anything to separate it.
BadWolfBrewing
Well-Known Member
I whirlpool with a pump. I have stout kettles, and that tangential input is fantastic. I've minimized the fittings, turns, length of hoses, etc... and with the pump full bore I get a crazy whirlpool going. Let that fly for 10 minutes, let it settle for 10 minutes, and I transfer to the no-chill containers. Always a nice cone of hop crud left in the kettle.
y2jrock60
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I currently use a keg with a valve and copper did tube that goes all the way to the bottom. I have a pump, but don't have an inlet on my boil kettle to do a whirlpool. I just use a spoon to stir theory during my whirlpools. I used to use a hop spider, but now I just through the hops directly into the wort. I find that I obtain better hop flavors without the spider. I lose more wort to hop saturation when making big IPA, but compensate by making my recipe 1-1.5 gallons larger. After chilling my wort I use an auto siphon to transfer to fermenters.
It's not the most efficient setup but it works for me. Hopefully, I'll be able to save enough for a nice electric HERMs setup in the near future where I'd be able to conduct a true whirlpool and drain my kettle, which would have a filter, with my pump.
It's not the most efficient setup but it works for me. Hopefully, I'll be able to save enough for a nice electric HERMs setup in the near future where I'd be able to conduct a true whirlpool and drain my kettle, which would have a filter, with my pump.
I was wondering this too... after my first all grain batch I got a lot of gunk and bits of orange peel from my Wit I was making that clogged the ball valve on my keg. I have a 1/2" copper dip tube thats maybe 1/4" from bottom of keg. Should I trim that back so its not as close to bottom or should I build new dip tube thats of the side inlet variety and whirlpool to try and keep break, hops, and boil additions out of the plumbing ?
Thanks
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Thanks
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If I'm using more than a couple of ounces of hops, I use an old-school paint strainer bag spider. At flame-out, I lift the spider over the kettle and let it drain. Toss in the flame-out hops. Get a whirlpool going with my mash paddle, then start pumping out through a CFC and returning with a tangential return arm. Start cooling water through the CFC to gradually reduce the wort temp while whirlpooling. Done with whirlpooling, remove the return arm from the kettle and stick it into a carboy and crank up the cooling water through the CFC to chill the wort to fermentation temp.
kcbeersnob
Well-Known Member
Are you referring to the spider from Stainless Brewing?
I use a hop spider (home made 300 micron SS mesh) and use leaf hops only.
After the boil, I recirculate/whirlpool while chilling through a 300 micron strainer, which is upstream of the plate chiller.
When it's cool, I drain all the hoses etc. into the kettle, give it a quick spin with the paddle, let it sit for a bit, then drain off the clear wort.
I leave about a gallon of break behind, but it's what I choose to do.
After the boil, I recirculate/whirlpool while chilling through a 300 micron strainer, which is upstream of the plate chiller.
When it's cool, I drain all the hoses etc. into the kettle, give it a quick spin with the paddle, let it sit for a bit, then drain off the clear wort.
I leave about a gallon of break behind, but it's what I choose to do.
NervousDad
BFM
Yes. I'm not sure if it was too big for my kettle or not, but I never got a rolling boiling inside of the spider.
I use a sabco false bottom with a center diptube. I just did this recipe http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2013/03/pliny-younger-clone-20.html and doubled it so 14 ounces of hops. I don't use hop bags either just drop the pellets into the kettle. I chill with a chillwizard (therminator) and aside from the false bottom do nothing to strain hop matter. Zero clogs so far. I do backflush after every batch though.
NervousDad
BFM
I used the Sabco kettles with the false bottom too. I'd get a clog about a 1/3 of the time, just enough to break the siphon. I started using a pump and that problem went away, but I still switched to the whirlpool. I wish sacbo would have offset the dip tube so you can still do a whirlpool.
The new brewmagic kettles have a side diptube now.
https://brewmagic.com/product/brew-magic-boil-kettle/
30Bones
Well-Known Member
Tried a DIY hop spider with no luck (melted the PVC). I plan to try it again the next batch. I can whirlpool and it seems to work I guess, but I grow impatient.
Next batch I plan to just run it through a paint strainer zip tied to my camlock fitting
and call it good. I have brewed dozens of batches and hop matter got into the primary and in the end it was still really good tasting beer.
My views may change if I start entering comps, even then I view it as "just beer" for the most part.
Next batch I plan to just run it through a paint strainer zip tied to my camlock fitting
and call it good. I have brewed dozens of batches and hop matter got into the primary and in the end it was still really good tasting beer. My views may change if I start entering comps, even then I view it as "just beer" for the most part.
kcbeersnob
Well-Known Member
Interesting. I had problems with the 400 micron mesh, so had him build a 300 micron basket. That stopped the really bad problems, but when I brew with a significant amount of wheat I still get proteins clogging the mesh and slowing or stopping the boil inside the basket--but then again those batches typically involve a large amount of late whole hops that may also affect the boil.
kcbeersnob
Well-Known Member
This thread inspired me to perform an experiment. Instead of using my hop basket/spider, I attached the boil screen from my MLT to my kettle dip tube to see how it would perform. In the test recipe, I used 10 oz of leaf hops. The grain bill was all barley.
The good:
The not as good:
Definitely some tradeoffs. I'd be pretty nervous about using the boil screen when the grain bill includes higher protein grains. If it blocks up more significantly, chilling will be a serious PITA since I rely on a pump. Otherwise it seems to be a viable option that I will probably use again. I doubt I'll switch to it as my SOP though.
The good:
- It did a fantastic job holding back hops (not a surprise)
- I think I got better hop utilization compared to using a hop basket
- I enjoyed not having a massive basket in the kettle during the boil
The not as good:
- Much of the surface area of the boil screen was blocked with break material, which resulted in a slow drain (~30% of normal)
- It was pretty much impossible to do a whirlpool to drain off only clear beer (because of the mass of leaf hops)
- Made me appreciate the simplicity of pulling the hops out of the kettle using a basket
Definitely some tradeoffs. I'd be pretty nervous about using the boil screen when the grain bill includes higher protein grains. If it blocks up more significantly, chilling will be a serious PITA since I rely on a pump. Otherwise it seems to be a viable option that I will probably use again. I doubt I'll switch to it as my SOP though.
